


Purely Platonic

by MusingsOfSaturn



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Accidental Kissing, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Kissing, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29970303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusingsOfSaturn/pseuds/MusingsOfSaturn
Summary: Deanna and Will had carefully sculpted their list of unspoken rules, crafted to protect their friendship and working relationship. And the boundaries worked perfectly, until one poorly (or excellently) timed kiss on the cheek.[The kiss was supposed to be cute but it came out kinda steamy. My hand slipped.]
Relationships: William Riker/Deanna Troi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26





	Purely Platonic

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hiiiiiiii. Yeah I took a three-month break from Tumblr, Ao3, and all that good fandom stuff - I’ve missed you guys. But I got into university in that time! (Yay!) And I’m glad to be back with some fluffiness for my favourite pairing in the whole universe.

Over the years, Will and Deanna had settled into a comfortable routine of friendship.

They shared the mundanity of their duties, which were peppered with moments of fear and exhiliration whenever something inevitably went wrong, on the bridge. They exchanged harmless gossip over friendly meals and platonic drinks in ten forward. They engaged in light conversation, ambling alongside each other down corridors that had become familiar and safe.

It seemed as if an unspoken set of boundaries existed between them. They knew what kind of contact was just a little bit _too_ familiar, which topics were safe to joke about and which would leave them aching with hurt, and just how long and how longingly you can stare at a friend across the bridge before it stops feeling friendly.

It had taken a long time to get there, but they’d managed, and they were content. Friendship was enough, for now.

At the end of one long day, they walked side by side, chattering away idly. When they reached her door, they stopped, but continued the conversation. They often did this - not wanting to leave an interesting topic, but knowing that their non-existent rulebook stated that they couldn’t go inside. Waiting outside was still appropriate for colleagues.

As she finished her point, and Will added his agreement, they recognised the end was near. She reached up, hugging him around the neck as he leaned down (somewhat awkwardly) to return the gesture. They kept it brief to ensure that the boundaries they had so carefully crafted remained firmly intact; this was a friendly hug, not a romantic embrace.

As he started to pull away, Deanna moved instinctively to press a kiss to his cheek. A _friendly_ kiss, as she had given a thousand times to him, to Beverly, even to her mother. In the same instant, Will turned to do the same.

Their lips brushed.

From even this small contact, Deanna felt something inside her spark. Her heart fluttered frantically and a surprised gasp shot between the two of them. It felt so familiar, so right, and all she wanted to do was sink into him, hold him bone-crushingly tight and never let go. And, in the stirrings of his mind, she sensed Will wanting to do the same.

Instead, the walls between them shot back up. They were stood far too close for friendly colleagues - they stepped back. Accidents happen, even between friends - in perfect unison, they began sputtering out apologies. It’s _fine_ , as long as you make light of it - they shared an awkward laugh and embarrassed look. The rules may be unspoken, but they existed for a reason.

They fell silent. Paused.

Deanna’s eyes drifted to his, searching for something to say. When she met his gaze, she saw it was cautious, measured, controlled. Or maybe not so controlled.

She stepped forward in the same instant he did, as he leaned down to cup her face in his hands and capture her lips with is own. She returned in kind, hands splayed across his chest, feeling herself sink into his body like a perfectly sculpted jigsaw piece.

A hum started to grow deep in her throat, and he caught it as it escaped from her. He took another step forward as his hands slid to her waist. Deanna was grateful for their firm grip, as it seemed as though her legs would dissolve into jelly at any moment. Her own hands moved upwards, fingertips drifting over the back of his neck. She felt him shudder beneath them, heard - or rather, felt - his soft groan against her mouth.

Breathless, she pressed herself impossibly closer. Her hands were freely wandering, exploring the expanse of his back, his shoulders, his chest, familiarising herself with what was hers. She shivered against his touch as he did the same.

The constant drone of the ship, the low mumbling of crewmen talking in their quarters, the little voice in the back of her head that screamed “stop, you’re going to ruin everything!”, they all faded away. All that remained in the entire universe, was herself, and Will. Her Imzadi.

He broke away from her with a start, and she stumbled slightly. He caught her elbow, steadying her.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he murmured.

Deanna could feel herself falling back to reality far too quickly for her own liking. “I shouldn’t have either.”

She searched his face, for a sign of something, anything really, any indication he could offer of remorse, or relief-

“I don’t regret it, Deanna.”

“I don’t regret it either.”

His lips quirked up at both her reply, and the echoing cadence of her earlier statement. Will took her hands, lightly, as though they were delicate porcelain, and pressed his forehead to hers.

“We should probably discuss this.”

They didn’t have to. Here, pressed together in a way that was more intimate than they’d dared to be in years, that bond that had always existed was flickering back to life. It was as if a dam had opened, and all of the emotions, the regrets, the yearning, the _love_ was finally allowed to pour between them. Deanna basked in it. She let it swallow her up, envelop her, and she sensed the same acceptance from Will.

Still, things were complicated. Yes, the feelings were there, clicking back into place as though nothing had ever changed, but the logistics were not. Perhaps discussions would be inevitable. But not now.

“Tomorrow,” she said at last, certain and composed, as though scheduling a counselling appointment.

“Tomorrow,” Will agreed. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, dropping her hands with reluctance. “Goodnight, Counselor.”

Not satisfied, Deanna stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips briefly, making him grin again. “Goodnight, Commander.”

She smiled, somewhat shyly, as she opened the door and stepped through it, turning to give him one last look before the door closed.

She never saw him walking to his own quarters, shaking his head in disbelief, running a hand through his hair in shock, biting back an overjoyed grin that threatened to beam across his face as he realised that everything he’d wanted for years was finally within reach.

And it had only been a kiss away the entire time.


End file.
